


The Five Fingers of the Guiding Hand

by Hours_Gone_By



Series: WiP Big Bang Fills [3]
Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers – All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Archaeology, Archaeology, Archaeology as Interpreted Through Indiana Jones Movies, Artifacts, Camp NaNoWriMo 2020, Camp Nanowrimo 2019, Canon Soup, Crack premise treated seriously, Cybertronian Data Cylinders, Developing Relationship, Fade to Gray, Fetch Quest, Fire in the Sky (Transformers) References, Grimlock and Starscream on a Fetch Quest, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied/Referenced Transformers Plug 'n Play Sexual Interfacing, Legends, M/M, Mausoleum, Megatron and Optimus Prime Run Competing Museums, Museums, Mysterious Old Dude, Mythology - Freeform, No War AU, Reluctant Teamwork, Rivalry, Rivals to Lovers, Space Archaeology, Spaceships, Universities, WIP Big Bang 2020, What even is canon?, With a Little Relic Hunter Thrown In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:15:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26430250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hours_Gone_By/pseuds/Hours_Gone_By
Summary: Starscream, an archaeologist working for the Tarn Region Museum Authority, is sent by Executive Director Megatron to retrieve a mythical artifact. Only, Starscream's rival, Grimlock of the Iacon Regional Art and History Museums Cooperative, is on the hunt for it as well, and finding the first artifact is just the beginning.
Relationships: Grimlock/Starscream, Jetasaurus
Series: WiP Big Bang Fills [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863658
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23
Collections: WIP Big Bang 2020





	1. Adaptus: The Transformation Cylinder

**Author's Note:**

> Started for [Trope Bingo](https://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org) [Round 12](https://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org/tag/round+twelve). Prompt: Rivals to lovers, worked on through Camp Nanowrimo July 2019 and April 2020. Finished for WiPBigBang 2020.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonderful title card by [Taste_is_Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/pseuds/Taste_is_Sweet)!

Starscream grumbled to himself as he brought his ship in to land at one of the few flat-ish, rocky places he'd been able to find on this miserable planet within range of his destination. The ancient Cybertronian ship he'd come to explore must have once been in a clearing like this one, but over time a dense jungle canopy had grown over it. Starscream would have just blasted the organic filth away, but he knew better than to risk damaging the site, and he didn't want to waste the energy. The nearest place he could resupply in this corner of the galaxy was inconveniently far away if he ran short. Starscream hadn't wanted to come to this corner of the galaxy at all. It was parsecs away from anywhere, no one had done anything resembling serious excavation, and there was only the faintest evidence of any Cybertronians having come here before. They certainly hadn't been hiding ancient and fabled artifacts on random far-flung worlds. That was the stuff of myths and cheap data-flimsy adventure magazines, and he didn't care what Soundwave claimed to have found on an old star-map. Even Soundwave could be wrong at times, after all.

But, Starscream was an employee of the Tarn Region Museum Authority, and where Executive Director Megatron told you to go, you went. Eventually, anyway. True, Starscream knew how each argument would end but that never stopped him from making them. It did Megatron good not to have everyone automatically agreeing with everything he said. Besides, Starscream didn't want the artifact – if it even existed – winding up in the collection of the Iacon Regional Art and History Museums Cooperative any more than Megatron did. It was bad enough that the Cooperative had outbid them on the Heart of Cybertron last vorn. If Optimus Prime got the Transformation Cylinder for his collection too, there would be no living with Megatron.

Allegedly, the Transformation Cylinder was an ancient data-cylinder encoded by Adaptus of the Guiding Hand himself. It was supposed to hold a detailed account of how Cybertronians learned the art of transformation, at least for those who could read it. Starscream had his doubts. He didn't even believe in the Guiding Hand, for Primus's – who he also didn't believe in – sake. He certainly didn't think that such an important relic, _if_ it existed, would have been permitted to leave Cybertron. Soundwave claimed that a secret order of followers of the Guiding Hand had left Cybertron in secret, spiriting the Cylinder away with them. According to Soundwave, they had been trying to preserve the original writings of Adaptus, taking the original and leaving behind only copies out of fear of the data's destruction. At least, that was their intent as interpreted through time and Soundwave.

Starscream would admit an ancient scientist might have been the one to develop the ability to transform. He would also agree it was possible, even likely, that the original research had, somewhere in Cybertron's tumultuous history, come to be treated as a religious artifact. He did _not_ believe there had been some form of divine intervention involved, or that there had been five divinely created mecha guiding early Cybertronians. The facts had obviously become conflated with myth, and anyone who thought otherwise was a gullible fool.

This hadn't made him popular in his Religious Studies class in university, but Starscream stood by his opinion. It also made it somewhat ironic that Megatron had chosen Starscream to go after this particular artifact, but, knowing the Director like he did, Starscream rather thought that had been the point. Megatron didn't care one way or another whether something was mystical or not, but he did like proving Starscream wrong, as often as possible. Well, Starscream would not only find and retrieve this Cylinder, but he'd show that there was absolutely nothing mystical about it!

Starscream shut down the ship's flight engines as soon as it touched down, not sitting entirely level but close enough. He ran through the post-flight checks almost on autopilot, then made sure his weapons were fully charged. Organic planets were generally wet, messy, and horrible with little that could threaten a mechanoid, but Starscream hadn't stayed alive this long by being careless. The scans he'd done of the putative landing site of the Hand follower's ship indicated it had been landed deliberately. It hadn't crashed, but there was no record of any crewmember returning to Cybertron or Cybertron's colonies. Either this was one of those rare organic planets that _could_ field a threat, or the crew was still here – and Starscream had no idea what their reaction to seeing him might be. He had no idea how zealously they might be defending the Cylinder, and it was almost inevitable that if there _were_ survivors, they wouldn't let him just leave with it.

The trip, on foot below the dense canopy, was just as unpleasant as Starscream had anticipated, to his great displeasure. He did fire warning shots at a few animals that crept too close for his liking, but overall the trip was uneventful. It was a four joor slog through the damp organic jungle, and he was covered in organic debris halfway up his thrusters by the time he saw the prow of the ship he sought.

As soon as Starscream didn't have to worry about preserving anything and could find a big enough clearing, he was taking flight and _burning_ that off him!

Despite the vorns this ship had sat here, Starscream could just barely make out the name, _Defenders of the Faith_ , in faded glyphs on the bow. Was that what they had called themselves, or only what they'd named their ship? Soundwave hadn't specified, and during the briefing, Starscream hadn't cared. Perhaps he could download their logs while he was here, Starscream mused. There could be more of interest here than just the Cylinder.

First, of course, he had to find a way into the thing. Starscream circled the ship, finally finding an airlock he could pull open. It was just barely big enough for him to squeeze through, and perhaps he should have looked for a shuttle bay or cargo bay to enter, but the sooner he got in, the sooner he got out. Starscream had a rough idea where in the ship the Cylinder should be, the safe in the captain's quarters, and he headed there. The ship creaked ominously at random times, sometimes even sounding eerily as if someone were walking around on another deck. Starscream paused every time he heard the footsteps, flinging out scans, but if there were anyone here, they weren't near enough to him to be picked up. Not an immediate threat, then, but certainly a reason not to let one's guard down.

The captain's quarters were locked, but it was hardly military-grade encryption, and Starscream bypassed the lock easily. The lock on the safe was only slightly more demanding. Finding the Cylinder was almost anticlimactic, but the climate control on the ship had long since failed, and the heat and damp were oppressive. Starscream was starting to care more about getting _out_ – and besides, his triumph would come when he presented it to Megatron, plus whatever data he could pull from the ship's datatrax. The best place to do that would be the bridge, so Starscream headed there, ignoring the various organic vermin that had decided the ship made a great new home.

The bridge wasn't locked, which made Starscream frown because surely this would be one of the locations any survivors would want to secure. Unless they hadn't planned on using the ship again, of course, but surely it would have merit at least as a shelter?

Cautiously, Starscream stepped through the door, only to stop short at what he saw.

" _You!_ " Starscream exclaimed and brought his null-rays to bear.

* * *

Grimlock had arrived on the planet early in its morning, armed with some ancient knowledge and Prowl's calculations and not much more. Before heading out, he did a little bit of recon around town, seeing if the locals had any information or legends that might be relevant. They might, they might not, but it never hurt to ask. Sometimes you found surprising truths in myths. This time, it seemed to pay off because one of the locals, who said they'd spent a lot of time exploring the jungles, was able to provide him with a shortcut. They also said that no one went into the ship because, ages go, when people had tried, the ship's defences had still been active. Since then, jungle growth and large predators moving into the area had made it too hard to get close to it. Grimlock would admit the overgrowth might slow him down since he'd have to work around or cut through it, but the predators would be organic and not a problem. He flew his ship to the border of the jungle and left it hovering just a step above the ground, and began the task of working his way through to the crashed ship, _Defenders of the Faith_. It was a tight squeeze in some places, and in others, he had to tear vines out of the way before he could keep going.

The ship was just as overgrown as he'd expected and still mostly sealed, but he found a way in through a cargo bay. Wheeljack had provided him with a disruptor that interrupted the security systems long enough for Grimlock to bypass them and shut them down. Once he got inside, he found that the interior was mostly preserved. The jungle life either hadn't been able to get in or hadn't been able to find much of a purchase on Cybertronian metals. Grimlock made his way to the bridge, first, both to retrieve data and to scout the ship. If the Cylinder was still here, it wasn't going to hurt it to let it sit for a few breems longer.

Grimlock found his way to the bridge easily enough: Cybertronian ships all tended to have a similar design. He downloaded the database after the necessary scans and checks, not bothering to read the data. Prowl could look after that. He'd just put the portable drive he'd used into his subspace when he heard someone exclaim " _you!_ "

Grimlock turned around, optic ridge raised and unbothered by the null-rays aimed at him. Starscream wouldn't shoot unless provoked, after all – probably not, at least.

"Me," Grimlock agreed. "What you, Starscream, doing here?"

"That's none of your business," Starscream snapped, evidently not liking the question. "I'm here for the information on those datatrax so why don't you get out of here and let a real archaeologist get some work done?"

Grimlock shrugged, not bothered by the attempted insult. "Me, Grimlock, never claimed to be arch-e-ol-o-gist." It was true, after all: he'd never acquired a degree even if he had experience and training. "Me go where Optimus Prime say – unless me no feel like it. Me find what he tell me to find, bring it back. Then others clean thing up, put in museum, visitors come look. Optimus Prime say 'good job' and me, Grimlock, go back to fishing with other Dinobots until he say 'go' again."

"How fascinating," Starscream said drily. His arms relaxed a little, not quite targeting Grimlock any more but still able to defend himself in a fraction of a nano-klik if he needed to. Not that Grimlock had any intention of starting anything today. "Well, then. Wonderful chat, but I'm afraid you must be going."

Grimlock didn't move. Let Starscream interpret that as not Grimlock not understanding what he meant. Grimlock's public persona was based around making people underestimate him.

"What you, Starscream, really doing here?" Grimlock asked curiously. "What you look for?"

"I told you, I'm here for the ship's datatrax!"

"Me, Grimlock, not think you have any luck." Not least because, once he'd copied the datatrax, Grimlock had locked them down with Jazz-created encryption. He knew to preserve the site, something Megatron's personnel couldn't always be counted on to do, but he wasn't going to leave Cybertronian technology lying around unsecured either. Even if it turned out he was securing it against other Cybertronians.

"You could have ended that at 'not think,'" Starscream sniped, and strode forward, shoving past him. "Get out of my way! I came for that data, and I'm not leaving without it!"

Starscream was smart, Grimlock knew that, but the encryption came courtesy of Jazz. That didn't make it unbreakable, but Starscream would probably have to take it back to Soundwave first. The lead was still Grimlock's. So, Grimlock shrugged again.

"You, Starscream, waste time. Make no difference to me, Grimlock."

Starscream sneered at him but didn't bother to reply. Grimlock watched him for a moment, then left the bridge. He turned away from the hall leading straight to the captain's cabin just to try and lay a false trail if Starscream hadn't gotten there first. But he had a schematic of the ship that Rewind had dug up from somewhere, and he knew another route.

"Frag," Grimlock sighed when he stepped into the captain's cabin and saw the safe door hanging open. Fresh metal gleamed through rust, and he knew it had been opened recently.

Well, Starscream had the Cylinder, but Grimlock had the data. If Optimus was right, that was far, far more important. Getting into a fight with Starscream over the Cylinder risked giving away its value, and it could always be recovered later. (Amazing sometimes, how artifacts could 'disappear' and be found a vorn or so later on the black market by Jazz's team.) There were easier ways to win this one than fighting. Grimlock decided to let the Cylinder be for now and started back to his ship. The sooner Prowl could analyze the ship's data, the sooner Grimlock could get started on the next phase of the mission.

* * *

Starscream waltzed into Megatron's office and laid the Cylinder on his desk with a flourish.

"Perhaps next time you can find a challenge for me, Director," Starscream said smugly and folded his arms. "Finding this was almost too easy."

Megatron glanced up, unimpressed, and Starscream's smirk faltered. What, was this not triumph enough?

"You found one, Starscream, yes," Megatron said. "But what about the other four?"

Starscream's smile slipped entirely. "The other four? _What_ other four?"

Where Starscream's smirk had disappeared, Megatron's began to grow. "I'm surprised a researcher as skilled as you hasn't figured it out. Think, Starscream! There were five members of the Guiding Hand, were there not?"

"Only if you believe in that superstition!"

Megatron ignored him and continued. "While you were away, Soundwave discovered even more information, revealing the locations of yet more treasures. There is an artifact for each member of the Hand, and you have only found one. The rest remain hidden – but I'm sure you'll be on your way to get their locations from Soundwave any moment now, won't you?"

"I – Of course!" Starscream jerked his chin up proudly. " _I_ shall retrieve these items for the greater glory of the Tarn Museum."

"Yes," Megatron said drily. "I'm sure you will."

After that, Starscream had to visit Soundwave to get the information to back up his assurances to Megatron. Soundwave, worked-slash-lurked in the basement of the museum, was second only to – as much as Starscream hated to admit it – Optimus Prime in terms of being skilled at data retrieval. Starscream entered Soundwave's workspace, strutting in through the doors, and was roundly ignored by everyone except Rumble and Frenzy, who looked over at him and snickered. Starscream refused to acknowledge them and instead headed straight for Soundwave, who was plugged into a workstation.

"Megatron has granted _me_ the honour of retrieving the remaining artifacts of the Hand," Starscream informed him. "You will provide me with the necessary information."

Soundwave raised his head and looked at Starscream, visor and face mask combining to make his expression completely opaque.

"Artifacts remaining: four," he intoned. "The Philosopher's Chalice of Solomus Prime. Mortilus's Tome of Sparks. The Prime Pillar. The Seraphic Key. Locations: available. Prepare to receive data-burst."

Soundwave sent the ping alerting Starscream at the same time he gave the verbal warning, so Starscream got it almost right away. The locations on all four artifacts, inconveniently located on four different planets. Starscream really was going to have to spend quite a lot of time away from Cybertron. It was a good thing he had a robust expense account, wasn't it? The best part was, _Megatron_ had ordered this, and so he didn't even get to complain.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Starscream asked.

"Artifacts: protected. Caution: advised."

Well, If they were protected by tricks or traps like the one that had protected the Cylinder, that should be easy enough.

"Don't worry, Soundwave," Starscream said confidently. "I'm sure they'll be no challenge at all for an archaeologist of _my_ calibre."

"Ancients: underestimated. Starscream's abilities: to be tested."

Soundwave was always such a pessimist. Had Starscream not come back triumphant for every mission that _he_ had been allowed to lead? (Nearly all of them, anyway. Most. When his fools of subordinates obeyed him!)

"I test I shall pass!" Starscream announced. Soundwave did not offer an opinion, merely going back to his work while his cassettes snickered. Starscream swept out of the room, wings wide, and accessed the DataNet to begin filing his flight plans. The first artifact had been child's play; the rest would be no different.

' _Prepare to eat your words, Megatron,_ ' Starscream thought viciously, and immersed himself in a fantasy of presenting Megatron will all four remaining artifacts, and how Megatron would apologize and acknowledge Starscream's genius.


	2. Solomus: The Philosopher's Chalice

Starscream tapped his fingers impatiently on the control console of his ship as he waited for this backwater planet's pathetic space traffic control to clear him for landing. A moon of this world was supposed to be the resting place of the second artifact, the Philosopher's Chalice of Solomus Prime. Starscream would have to land his ship and fly to the location, of course, but he anticipated no more problems with the Chalice than he had with the Cylinder.

Finally, the controller radioed him and took Starscream's information.

_'A Cybertronian, huh,_ ' they said. ' _Geez, we don't see any of you guys in millennia, and now we've got two in one day. Anyway, your landing bay is C57-D. Control out._ '

Starscream frowned. Two Cybertronians in one day? Some other mech must have been passing by and broken down; that was the only explanation he could think of. Starscream immediately dismissed the other mech from his mind: they were unlikely to be of importance to his mission. He docked his ship, subspaced whatever tools and supplies he thought he might need, and secured his docking bay and vessel with long, complicated passwords. Conserving his own fuel, he took a transport out to the edge of what could just passably be called a city and headed out toward the cave systems that supposedly held his prize.

His initial plan to simply fly there hit a snag when he realized that the canyons and mountains created by ancient asteroid impacts caused violent and unpredictable up-and-downdrafts. He could compensate for them, but he would burn far less fuel simply – urgh – _walking_. (It had nothing to do with how they reminded him of trying to fly in a storm on another organic planet. He could only carry so much energon with him, after all.) The map Soundwave had provided also proved difficult to follow, as the terrain had changed since it had been made, and the communications expert hadn't bothered trying to update it. At least there was no vegetation here, and Starscream was able to follow what had once been a metal road. It was severely eroded by sandstorms, pitted and even potholed in some places, but recognizable. The wind meant that the road was washed continuously by sand, but Starscream could see where it dipped down into a canyon and hoped he'd be out of it soon.

Getting down below the lip of the canyon got him out of the wind. It also revealed something else just as unwelcome.

"No!" Starscream exclaimed. "No, it can't be! Not him! Not again! Not _here_!"

In the sand covering the ruined road were the unmistakeable lumbering footprints of a _Dinobot_.

* * *

Contrary to the persona he often projected, Grimlock really did have a lot of respect for Optimus Prime. The mech was a skilled leader and archivist, and he really did care for those under him. Only, sometimes he put so much focus on _caring_ he forgot to actually _listen_.

"You did your best, Grimlock," Optimus said soothingly when the Dinobot reported the loss of the Cylinder. "Starscream is treacherous, and from the sound of it, you couldn't have gotten the artifact back without resorting to violence. At least we can be assured that the artifact is back in Cybertronian hands again."

"Still four left," Grimlock pointed out, as aware as Prime of Prowl's findings. But Starscream appearing in search of the Cylinder had been their first inkling that Megatron and his staff knew about the artifacts as well.

Optimus had smiled reassuringly and handed Grimlock a credit chip for his expenses. "I know you'll do your best to bring them back, Grimlock. Good luck."

So that was why Grimlock was trudging across this moon, searching for a second artifact. Prowl's research had said it was called the Philosopher's Chalice, and it had supposedly belonged to Solomus Prime. Drinking from it was supposed to give you wisdom, although Grimlock couldn't see how and Prowl had called it superstition. It probably was, then: Prowl tended to be right most, if not all, of the time. Grimlock had to walk since his ship wouldn't land near the location of the artifact, and the air currents over the canyons were treacherous. The locals didn’t have any transports that would accommodate him either. The only sounds were the howling of the wind and the hissing of sand.

Once, off in the distance, he thought he heard a jet engine but dismissed it as just the wind making weird sounds. The wind was picking up, and he was getting to a section of interconnecting canyons and cave-filled walls. The sand was getting flung at him a little harder than was comfortable, too. Frowning as much as his dinosaur mode would let him, Grimlock decided to duck into one of the cave systems earlier than expected. Even if it didn't lead to the network of tunnels, as Beachcomber had suggested it might, it was better than staying outside right now. Besides, the Chalice had been here for an Age: it wasn't going to go anywhere.

It took a few minutes to find a cave that would accommodate him, and even then, it wasn't as deep as Grimlock would have liked. He had to change back to root mode. Once he'd done that, it was the closest thing to comfortable he was likely to find for a while. Anyway, when you were outside of it, the sounds of the wind and the sand were strangely beautiful. It wasn't like he had anything else to do right now, so Grimlock leaned against a wall, arms folded, and stood watching and listening to the storm outside.

* * *

Starscream hunched miserably into himself, trying to keep the sand out of his face and out of his turbines. He was mostly unsuccessful, and as the storm worsened, he began to look for someplace to take shelter. The horrible environment of this Primus-forsaken moon finally yielded a cave opening big enough for his wings to fit through without awkward wiggling, and so he ducked inside it. It…wasn't horrible, tall and wide enough inside once he got through the entry that he didn't feel too claustrophobic. Not until he got a look at his companion, anyway.

"Seems like you, Starscream, follow me, Grimlock," the Dinobot observed, having the nerve to sound amused, damn him. "What you doing here?"

Starscream was in no mood to banter with uneducated fools with delusions of competence. "I'm on vacation," he snapped, "what do you think?"

"Me think you here for same reason as me, Grimlock. Again." The brute's expression was damned near unreadable under that visor-mask combination, but Starscream was sure he was being laughed at. "Maybe this time, things work out better for me, Grimlock."

Starscream smirked and folded his arms, leaning back against a wall of his own in mockery of Grimlock's own stance. "Things didn't go so well when you got back without your prize, hm?"

Grimlock shrugged, broad shoulders scraping faintly against the cave wall. "Optimus Prime disappointed not get artifact but not disappointed in me, Grimlock. Tell me it okay, go better next time, say he knows Grimlock do his best. Which me, Grimlock, always do."

"I'm sure," Starscream muttered.

"What him, Megatron, say when Starscream come back? Say 'good job' or just send you out again for next thing him wants?" Grimlock inquired, too perceptively. "Unless you, Starscream, here thinking small moon with bad weather in the middle of nowhere good vacation spot."

Starscream huffed and looked away. Grimlock had hit far too close to the mark, and Starscream didn't know what had clued him in. Maybe it had just been Megatron's reputation. Their turnover rate wasn't the only thing keeping the Tarn Region Museum Authority off Cybertron's Top 100 Employers list. (The Iacon Region Art and History Museums Cooperative made it into the top give, annually. Starscream knew because he got to hear about it annually, at length. Everyone in the administration wing did, whether they were in the same room as Megatron or not.)

"Me Grimlock, think no answer is answer." He paused, seeming to wait for a response. "Not good answer. Why you, Starscream, put up with it?"

Starscream huffed again and refused to look at Grimlock until the sand stopped. By that time, it was nightfall, but it wasn't as if darkness really mattered to Cybertronians. Starscream could easily navigate using enhanced and non-visual sensors, though he hoped Grimlock's weren't as sophisticated as his own.

"Don't even think about following me," he snapped, stomping out of the cave again. That irritating chuckle followed him.

"Me not follow. Me just go the same place."

"Ugh!" Starscream launched himself into the air, transforming as he went. It was so unfair! Starscream didn't need to be coddled the way Optimus Prime apparently coddled his subordinates, but…he had to admit it would be nice to get something more than bare acknowledgement and dismissal. Sometimes, anyway. He didn't need the praise, or the comfort, of course. He wasn't jealous that Grimlock got reassurance for _failure_ instead of insults and blows.

The winds had died down but would still be treacherous if he flew up above the canyon walls, so Starscream stayed just below them, finding his destination in just under a joor. Supposedly his prize was hidden in the cave system, thirty mechano-metres back. It wasn't a straight line, but it should be easy enough to find if the map Shockwave had supplied him with was accurate. This cave wasn't as comfortable to be in as the last one, unfortunately. Starscream fought back his claustrophobia with the vicious thought that at least if _he_ was a bit large for this space, it would be even harder for Grimlock. Still, he couldn't help the shudder that ran through him whenever the edge of a wing scraped rock. The Cybertronians who'd managed to hide the Chalice must have been average height or lower, he thought. Still, Starscream persevered and finally won through to a cavern large enough for him to be comfortable. Stalactites and stalagmites spoke to the length of time the cavern had been abandoned, and Starscream hoped he was the first to set foot here since the last Transformer had left. He set about exploring the cavern, knowing that there had to be some sort of trick to finding the Chalice. The Cylinder had been easy enough; he didn't expect this to be much different.

Of course, the Cylinder had been on a spaceship. Everything Soundwave had given him suggested that the ship's crew had chosen to set up living space underground. It was likely they had used their ship to build their habsuites, so he just had to scan for Cybertronian alloys. The stone of the caves didn't present any problem for his scanners. He found the traces, but there didn't seem to be a way to get to them from the cavern he was in.

Frowning, Starscream folded his arms and considered his options. He could simply blast through the wall, but he had no idea where the Chalice was, and that step risked damaging or destroying it. Even if he went through the wall where there was no evidence of Cybertronian metals, there was no guarantee the Chalice wasn't stored in an antechamber that had been carved out later. The risk of destruction or damage was still present, and Starscream was _not_ going back to Megatron with the artifact in anything less than perfect condition.

Starscream, arms still folded, began to pace, frowning thoughtfully. There _had_ to be a way back there! And he had to find it before Grimlock did.

* * *

Beachcomber had provided Grimlock with some geological scanning equipment and a brief lecture on what kind of cave formation to expect on moons like this one. Rewind had given him some background on how Cybertronians had traditionally built underground cities. Grimlock had an idea of how the cultists might have worked with the existing tunnel systems. The cave he'd sheltered in hadn't connected to the cave system the way he'd hoped, but that was just as well since it meant Starscream wouldn't follow him. It had taken a few tries, but he'd finally found a natural tunnel system that connected to the ones the Cybertronians had built. Just in time, too, since it was getting to be daytime, and this moon got _hot_ during the day. It got correspondingly cold at night, and so it wasn't a surprise that the cultists had built underground. Grimlock used the geological scanner in concert with his own scanners and found a route that he was sure would cut a half joor off his trip. Good enough, especially since he had competition on this route.

Unlike the ship, Grimlock didn't have to search for an entrance. The stone tunnels gave way to the metal halls of an underground city. If he didn't turn around and ignored his dorsal sensors, then it was like being back on Cybertron again. The lights even still worked, turning on as he entered a section of the hallway and turning off behind him. Faint telltales glowed off in the distance, indicating that some of the doors had been left unlocked. Curious, Grimlock poked his head into one of them. It looked like the occupants had just stood up and left one day. There was even still an energon cube sitting on a table, showing a ring where fuel had been left sitting until it evaporated. Creepy, but also worth coming back to do a further investigation on. Grimlock recorded while he walked, knowing Prowl would need as much information as possible to plan any following expeditions.

The underground complex was not very big, and it took about two breems for Grimlock to find the chapel he thought would house the Chalice. Prowl had suggested that it might be kept in a vault or require some sort of puzzle to be solved to access the artifact. He had also suggested it might be easier to remove whatever contained the Chalice and bring it back to Cybertron. Grimlock would prefer not to do that since it would disturb the site, and he did think there might be value in an expedition here.

The chapel had on its back wall a large fresco of the Thirteen, with Solomus holding his Chalice positioned front and centre. When Grimlock stepped inside, a holo-emitter activated, giving the impression that rays of light were being emitted from the Chalice. Nice touch. It couldn't be as easy as the real Chalice being hidden behind the fresco, but Grimlock checked anyway. No sign of a hidden door or latch. The Cylinder had had to be found via something that transformed, so it made sense that wisdom must be applied to find the Chalice. That suggested a puzzle or a riddle, but what kind and where to start looking…?

Grimlock relied on his training and paused to think: what did he know about Solomus? He did a quick review of the relevant datatrax. Solomus had been known for his wisdom, as well as his devotion to justice. He'd gifted wisdom to all future Cybertronians and either become or created the Matrix of Leadership, depending on what version of the myth you subscribed to. Grimlock remembered a specific phrasing that each version of the legend seemed to have in common: _and he poured out his wisdom into a vessel._ If it got repeated, then it was important, and if it was important, it was probably reflected here. Grimlock went back to the mural and examined it for clues, different ones this time. _Poured out his…_

The background of the fresco looked a lot like the cityscape of Golden Age Iacon, a fair bit of artistic license since Iacon hadn't been founded when the Five were allegedly around. It didn't have two rivers in it like the two seeming to frame Solomus, either, but it was clear the artist hadn't been going for accuracy. Oddly, where rivers in Cybertronian religious iconography usually represented division, these rivers started out separate and would have merged into one just beyond Solomus's feet if the painting had continued. If it had been able to run over the border.

_Poured out…_

Grimlock took a step back and estimated where the rivers would have joined and continued if the painting had been any more extensive. They would have run along the floor, straight to the altar. Grimlock could see how that could be considered a vessel, especially if it really did hold the Chalice, so he turned his attention to that. There weren't any obvious ways to open it, but there was a smaller, more modern chalice on top of it, dry now, but Grimlock picked it up just to see what would happen. It had a small opening underneath it, clean on the surface, but a scan showed a residue of dried oil underneath. His scans couldn't penetrate much further, maybe to keep from giving the secret away. Perhaps it was a fluid-based lock, or worked like an electromagnet where it needed power _not_ to work?

Grimlock set the cup he was holding to one side and took a container of oil out of his subspace. He poured a thin, careful stream into the opening, listening for the sound of a catch releasing or some other sign he was right.

At around the level of his knees, more easily accessible for a smaller bot, the front of the altar split in half and slid apart. Grinning behind his mask in triumph, Grimlock reached into the altar and withdrew the Chalice, cradling it carefully in his big hands. It was beautifully crafted, etched with glyphs like the Cylinder had been, and made for a large mech. After a moment's admiration, Grimlock pulled the case he'd brought for it out of his subspace and nestled it into the smart-foam lining, which immediately conformed to its shape. He closed the case and subspaced it again. Before he left the chapel, he took a detailed series of scans and video captures, sure that Optimus and Prowl, at the very least, would be interested.

Grimlock didn't encounter Starscream on the way out and was almost disappointed. True, the other archaeologist was a rival, but he wouldn't mind another look at those wings… Grimlock shrugged. Another time, maybe. There were still three more artifacts to go, and the competitive Seeker would no doubt show up on Grimlock's radar again.

Grimlock would have liked to explore the city some more, but he wasn't equipped for a proper expedition. That would have to wait on Prime and Prowl's decision. He did kind of hope he'd be able to come back here, though. Once he'd finished collecting the artifacts of the Hand, of course. Taking one last look around, he reluctantly headed back through the tunnels to get back to his ship and secure the artifact on board.

* * *

It took joors and more detours through stone tunnels than he would have liked, but Starscream finally found his way into the underground city. He searched for and found the chapel, the most likely place to hold a religious artifact. It didn't take him long to realize that he was too late; the atmospheric sensors on the leading edges of his wings suggested a recent disturbance, and he _knew_ Grimlock had gotten here first! Starscream swore and slammed the side of his fist into the doorframe. If Starscream went back to Megatron _without_ that artifact…Starscream thought fast. Chasing Grimlock through the cave system was counterproductive, especially since he had a map and experience of the path, and Starscream had neither. What he _did_ have was speed and aerial superiority! If he could get back to the spaceport before Grimlock, he might be able to intercept the other mech before he was able to take off. Starscream still had to work his way back along the path he'd taken, and deal with the treacherous winds in the canyon, of course. But, this time, he wasn't looking for a landmark. He was heading back to a known location. He shot straight up, into the upper atmosphere and well above the winds, and flew at top speed to intercept Grimlock before he got to the spaceport.

When he got there, the Dinobot's ship – emblazoned with the Iacon Region Art and History Museums Cooperative logo – was still docked. Starscream circled, then landed. The vessel was sealed tightly, and the locks seemed to have been made by Wheeljack; he couldn't risk taking the time to try and crack them, at least not with any kind of subtlety. Grimlock might appear at any moment, too, and Starscream couldn't risk the artifact getting damaged in a fight. He was considering just blasting his way in when one of the dockworkers called out to him.

"Hey! You, from Cybertron! You looking for the other mech?"

Starscream bit back the sarcastic _obviously_ that sprang to the front of his vocalizer's queue and plastered on a smile.

"Why, yes," he said pleasantly. "Do you know where my friend here is?"

"Sure," the alien chirped, waving a couple of limbs in the direction of the small town next to the spaceport. "He's over at J'on'z's place having a drink. A hauler in orbit lost control of its cargo train, and everything's locked down until we get that mess cleaned up. You ever tried cleaning graphite ore up in orbit?"

"I can't say I have," Starscream replied, a touch drily. "Say, can you tell me how to get to J'on'z's? I'm afraid I was so eager to see my friend again that I neglected to get directions."

The helpful alien obliged, and soon Starscream was back in pursuit of Grimlock. He found him in the bar, massive shoulders taking up the entire side of one booth all on their own. Grimlock was sitting facing the door, so Starscream couldn't even have the element of surprise. He still stalked across the floor and leaned over the table, palms flat on the top of it.

" _You_ ," he hissed. "Where did you find the Chalice? _How_?"

Grimlock just leaned back. "You, Starscream, have to wait for clearance too. Should sit down, have drink with me."

"You will tell me - !"

"Sure," Grimlock said agreeably, "if you have drink with me. Me Grimlock even pick up tab."

Starscream dropped into the booth across from Grimlock with a little grace. "Fine." He punched up the bar's menu and ordered the most expensive drink a Cybertronian could process. The bar's drone delivered it promptly, bright blue and fizzing and, when he took a sip, far too sweet. Starscream drank it anyway.

"Fine, we're drinking together," Starscream snapped. "Now, tell me!"

"Okay. Me tell."

Starscream listened to Grimlock explain how he'd used his knowledge of myth and iconography to work out how to open the secret compartment where the Chalice was hidden. Despite himself, Starscream had to admit it was clever, and perhaps there was more to Grimlock than he'd expected. The size, strength, and speech pattern meant Starscream had underestimated his intelligence, maybe far more than he realized.

"That's very clever, Grimlock," he said, not all of the admiration he loaded his tone with feigned. "Say, perhaps you could show me the Chalice? Just so I can tell Director Megatron what he's missing out on?"

Grimlock chuckled, and it wasn't an unpleasant sound. He did have a very nice, deep voice.

"Me Grimlock not think so. You Starscream clever and fast – too clever and fast. Me, Grimlock, keep Chalice, take back to Optimus Prime." He added slyly, "maybe you come visit Iacon Museum, see it there." Grimlock knocked back the last of his drink and put a hand to the side of his helm to indicate he was receiving a comm. "Me have launch clearance now. Go back to Cybertron, report to Optimus Prime."

"While I go back empty-handed," Starscream muttered. Grimlock fixed him with a too-knowing gaze.

"Could come back with Grimlock. You, Starscream, good archaeologist. Could work with us. Could work with Grimlock."

Starscream snorted. "As if I could stand to work under your soft-sparked _Prime_."

Grimlock shrugged and slid out of the booth. "Prime not yell. Look disappointed, but not yell. Not put down. Anyway, you, Starscream, enjoy drink. Me, Grimlock, see you next time."

Starscream had no launch clearance, no real weapons on his ship, and Grimlock was undoubtedly not going to allow him on board the vessel that held the prize. Storming out of the bar would get him nothing, and he was certainly not going to follow the Dinobot through the streets _begging_. At least staying held some dignity. Not much, but some. It wasn't as if he was looking forward to going back to Megatron with more bad news, either. Starscream glared angrily down at the table.

At least the drinks were good.


	3. Mortilus: The Tome of Sparks

Whatever Starscream had to do, whatever alliances he had to make, he was _not_ going to let Grimlock get away with another artifact! Even if he did have to slog through this Primus-forsaken swamp of a planet – organic _again_! – following vague clues to do it! Even Soundwave hadn't been able to provide much information on this one, just that it was a data tablet. Supposedly it could give the date and cause of death for every Cybertronian, although Starscream couldn't see anyone believing that to be anything but rank nonsense. Even involving time travel, which was risky and energy-intensive when it worked, there was simply no way to know or predict the date and cause of death for an entire _species_. Even if you could, you certainly wouldn't want to let people know when they were going to die, lest they avert it and change the timeline and their death date. Unless, of course, using time travel to check it created that event in the first place.

Ugh. Starscream hated temporal mechanics.

Starscream kicked viciously at a rock, which landed in the muddy swamp water with a dull 'plop' and sank. The water was too thick even to ripple, and it just sort of sloshed awkwardly before settling into placid goop again. _Ugh_. Why any Cybertronian in their right mind would have come here, looking to hide something or not… Something with far too many teeth and legs waddled across his path, and Starscream was tempted to shoot it just to relieve his feelings. Of course, then he'd only have the stink of dead organic to deal with, and he'd have wasted ammunition.

The creature got to live another cycle. This time, at least. It vanished into the brush with a flick of its tail, and a faint 'gloop' sound suggested it had immersed itself in the swamp on the other side of what Starscream wouldn't deign to call a trail. It was supposed to be a road, set up by the long-ago Cybertronians who'd fled here with the Tome of Sparks, but it had been almost entirely reclaimed by the jungle. Without Soundwave's data and satellite imagery, Starscream wouldn't have even known it was here.

Hopefully, Grimlock wouldn't know either.

Starscream took a step, and his foot _sank_ into something. He swore and pulled himself free, wondering what this accursed planet was going to dump on him next.

As if the Unicron-spawned mudball had read his mind, it began to rain.

* * *

Grimlock had always liked the rain on organic planets. He liked the sound and the feeling of it, and the way everything often seemed fresher when it stopped. He even transformed to his dinosaur mode so it could wash over more of him, head to tail, instead of just landing primarily on his head and shoulders. It drummed gently on his armour and pattered on the leaves of the trees around him. He wondered what Starscream, who he was sure was on the planet as well, thought of it, or if he liked it just as much as Grimlock did. He also wondered about more practical things, such as whether or not Starscream was nearer to the mausoleum supposed to hold the Tome of Sparks than Grimlock currently was. Grimlock was looking forward, in a way, to seeing which of them got the prize this time, himself or the prickly, sharp-tongued, whip-smart Seeker with the gorgeous wings.

The rain slowed to a drizzle, then to a mist, light enough that local fauna began to move and sing again. The trees thinned out in a rough line, roots prevented from going deep by the ancient metal road that should lie beneath them. Even through the trees, Grimlock could see his destination in the distance, a cluster of Cybertronian-sized buildings, none more than two stories tall. When he got closer, it looked like the buildings were still being maintained, and he frowned. That the previous sites had been abandoned didn't mean the remaining three would be, but still. It had been a long time since anyone had heard from this group, and Prowl hadn't found any records. Neither had Blaster, searching for some record of a transmission, however long-ago and short it might have been. The outpost _could_ have been taken over by aliens, but even the larger organic species didn't tend to mesh well with Cybertronian buildings. Not without retrofitting and special accommodation. Given how much effort would have been needed, it probably would have made more sense to take the buildings down and use them for materials. 

Whatever the reason, Grimlock chose to be careful. He skirted the edge of the plain until he could get to a spot that was closer to the outpost. Not as close as he would have liked, but enough that he had less open space to cross, at least. His scanners didn't reveal any active defences, but Grimlock still proceeded carefully as he entered the complex, scanning and listening.

Nothing. It didn't make Grimlock feel any better. He kept his scanners running on high as he searched, planning to start with a temple or chapel as he had with the Chalice. He'd just barely entered the first building when he heard something that told him he didn't have much time: jet engines screaming overhead.

"Damn," Grimlock muttered out loud, then spun around at the sound of something tapping on the floor.

"Ah," an old mech, bearded almost as fully as Alpha Trion, said beaming at him, "the other who seeks the Tome, I believe. Your compatriot and, I believe, rival, has just left, as you heard. If you hurry, you can catch him. Now, the question is: which path do you wish to take? It won't do any good to threaten me, by the way. I've seen the Tome. I know my time, and this is not it."

"Me, Grimlock, not threaten," Grimlock said, doing his best to sound reassuring, something his voice box hadn’t been constructed for. "What path you talk about?"

"Oh, there are two, my friend," the mech said, still beaming. "One is short and difficult and will take you where you wish to go, and one is long and easy but may not yield the prize you seek. I can direct you to both, but I cannot choose for you."

"Me Grimlock want to find Tome. Me take short path."

"Mm, that's what your, ah, friend said, though he believed he could take a shortcut over the shortcut." The mech chuckled. "That was thought of, yes it was. But that shortcut of shortcuts isn't available to you, I think. Come, my friend," the mech said, turning, "and I'll show you the way."

Grimlock followed, asking curiously, "how long you live here?"

"Oh, I've been here since the beginning, since we brought the Tome from Cybertron," the mech answered casually, "I helped secure it in its present location. I look after the outpost until the time comes."

"What time that?"

"The time for me to die," the meh said calmly. "Don't be sad for me, friend. It will be a good death, and it comes after a good life. I could look back on worse when the Death-Bringer comes for me, and I am not afraid. Mortilus is not an enemy, merely an inevitability."

The mech seemed unusually accepting of the idea of dying, but Grimlock supposed that was one way to look at it. Like most Cybertronians, virtually immortal compared to many other species, Grimlock hadn't given death a lot of thought one way or another.

"Here is the path you chose," the mech said, coming to a halt and gesturing to an arch. A path that might once have been covered in gravel led out into more swamp. "Forgive the condition, please, it is all I can do to keep the outpost in repair for those who will come later."

Grimlock took a step onto the path, then hesitated and looked at the strange old mech, feeling concerned. "You need anything? Me can maybe have supplies sent? Can try."

The mech, who seemed perpetually good-natured, chuckled again. "Oh, no need to trouble yourself. I have everything I need for what time I have left. Follow your path, and best of luck to you."

The mech turned and walked away, and Grimlock watched him disappear between buildings before turning and heading down the path.

* * *

Starscream landed, furious, hot thrusters burning vegetation around him. He'd hoped to just fly over the path the old mech had shown him to, but there was some kind of barrier up. How an old wreck of an outpost like this could manage to keep up a forcefield was beyond him. He was almost tempted to fly back and force the mech to turn it off, but the controls weren't necessarily in the outpost, and he was losing time. He was so close already! Starscream had seen the mausoleum that must hold the Tome during his flight, and now he just had to work his way through – ugh – more swamp to get to it.

Maybe he'd strafe the outpost on his way out, just to relieve his feelings.

Starscream stomped forward, off the path and not particularly caring about it. It wasn't as if there were anything on this soft, organic world that could hurt one of Cybertron's elite. Even the ground wasn't hard like good metal, shifting and moving under him, sticking…

…sticking. Starscream felt a little thrill of horror and looked down. Even as he watched, thick tar was oozing up over his feet, the residual heat of his thrusters helping to melt it and his mass drawing him down. _No!_ He tried to ignite his thrusters, but they were filling, and his antigravs weren't fast enough to pull him free. Frantic, Starscream looked around, but he'd managed to sink right in the middle of the pit, and there wasn't anything nearby he could use to pull himself free. The pit wasn't even that big! He tried struggling, but that just made it worse, and his null rays had no effect on it. He didn't have anything else he wanted to try this lose to him since he couldn't afford to be both trapped and damaged. He was still sinking and had no idea how deep this pit was, meaning he could well wind up trapped, buried, and resigned to a slow death in stasis if no one found him.

Starscream's fists clenched furiously.

" _Megatron!_ This is all _your_ fault!"

* * *

Grimlock walked the path carefully, sensors on high and paying close attention to his surroundings. It was slow going, and a few times he had to backtrack and find a way around an obstacle. He wasn't sure how close he was when he noticed that the sounds of organics in the swamp around him had stopped. Grimlock paused, listening. Even mechanimals were noisy, and when they went quiet, it usually meant there was danger of some kind nearby.

" _Megatron!_ This is all _your_ fault!"

_Ah._ The source of the shout wasn't very close, but the rage in it was all too apparent. Starscream must have gotten himself into some kind of trouble. Grimlock weighed the option of just continuing along the path and leaving him to his fate, but –

"Hnh," he muttered finally. "Me Grimlock have too much Autobot in me."

Grimlock pinpointed the source of the sound and followed the path as far as he could, only stepping off it when it became absolutely necessary. He could see the faint shimmer of a forcefield in the near distance and supposed that was the reason Starscream hadn't just been able to fly to his destination. It wasn't much long after that he found the Seeker, trapped in a pit of sticky quick-tar and still sinking. He was up to his waist, and tar was starting to creep over the bottom edges of those pretty wings.

"Why me no surprised to see you, Starscream, here?" Grimlock asked rhetorically. "You looking for Tome or you following me, Grimlock?"

"How – you – I – " Starscream spluttered, clutching his fists, still held above the sticky surface. "Just help me!"

"Hmm. Me Grimlock not think you, Starscream, need as much help as you say," Grimlock, crouched by the pit of quick-tar Starscream had gotten stuck in, regarding the Decepticon levelly. "Me Grimlock not Megatron. Me Grimlock think this trap." He made as if to stand up again. "Maybe me just leave you here, come back when all artifacts safe in Iacon."

* * *

What? That…that… _Dinobot_! He couldn't be serious!

"I wouldn't trap myself in something this disgusting!" Starscream protested. Ugh, this gunk was getting all over his _wings,_ interfering with delicate sensors and just generally being disgusting. "You can't just leave me here! What – " He thought quickly and changed tactics, wheedling now. "After all, what would Optimus Prime say? Surely your leader wouldn't want you to abandon a fellow Cybertronian in distress?"

Grimlock seemed unmoved. "Optimus Prime not here. Me Grimlock leave you, Starscream, here and Prime never know. But me Grimlock know. Know always. So, me help."

Grimlock transformed and leaned down almost level with the tar. "You stay still until me Grimlock say."

"What are you going to do? Ah!" Starscream shrieked and threw his hands up to protect his face as Grimlock breathed fire onto the surface of the tar. "What is the meaning of this?"

Grimlock seemed to ignore him, and the flames continued for a panic-lengthened two kliks. Starscream could feel the heat of it, but it wasn't hot enough to burn him. It was just warm enough to-to soften the quick-tar. That…was a better and less brute-force solution than Starscream would have expected from the overpowered lug.

Grimlock transformed back to his root mode and crouched again, holding out a hand. "You come. Me, Grimlock, pull you out."

Wading through the tar was unpleasant, but Starscream didn't have a better alternative. Grimlock's hand was so big Starscream couldn't close his own around it, and the Dinobot had to grasp Starscream's arm instead to help him out.

Getting solid ground under his boots was a relief, but he was still covered in that – that _stuff_ from the chest down. There had been weeds of some kind growing around the edge of the pit, and, just to make things worse, organic _bits_ were sticking to him.

"Hold still," Grimlock said, and if that was amusement in his voice Starscream was going to shoot him, help or no help. Grimlock transformed again. "Me burn tar off you." Starscream's horror showed on his face before he could say anything, and Grimlock turned partially away with the attitude of someone giving an uncaring shrug. "Or stay sticky. Not me, Grimlock's problem."

"I – I will permit you to assist me," Starscream said loftily after a moment's hesitation.

"Okay. Stay still now. You turn when Grimlock says," the Dinobot ordered, and Starscream reluctantly obeyed.

The fire was…just hot enough, really. It removed the tar without being uncomfortable. Starscream could handle atmospheric takeoff and re-entry, but he was designed to do so in jet mode, with any delicate protoform or other features safely tucked away behind his armour. He'd worried about some of those components being damaged, but – no, it was accidental. The Dinobots were underclocked thugs. He couldn't possibly expect one of them to be _careful_.

Starscream tensed when Grimlock told him to turn around but did so anyway, holding himself tight and alert to the possibility of an attack from the rear. Autobot nobility would usually prevent such a thing, but the Dinobots had shown many times over the years that they fought to win, and rules be slagged. But Grimlock only cleaned the rest of the tar off him.

"Done," Grimlock said, and Starscream heard him transform back to root mode. "Now, what you do? Only one of us can take Tome. There two more to find after that, in other places. Maybe more dangerous places."

Grimlock had a point, Starscream hated to admit, especially since Starscream would have been trapped for who knew how long if the Dinobot hadn't come along. The planets did seem to be getting more dangerous as they went along, as well — one more (grudgingly given) point for Grimlock.

"It would be much easier to face some of these worlds together," Starscream said slowly. "It would almost certainly be safer."

"Okay," Grimlock agreed, maybe a bit too readily. "How we share what we find?"

"We can work it out once we're done," Starscream said, with no intention of doing any such thing. "I’m sure we can come to a fair and equitable arrangement."

"Hnn... Okay, me, Grimlock, work with you, Starscream. See what happen."

"Very well, then." Starscream smiled, genuinely pleased to have gotten Grimlock's cooperation so readily. At last, someone to do the heavy lifting and dirty work! "Which way to the path?"

"Follow me, Grimlock."

"Of course," Starscream said pleasantly, gesturing for Grimlock to go ahead. "Lead the way, friend."

Grimlock gave him a remarkably appraising look for a mech with a mask and visor, and then turned and headed off to the path. Starscream followed, already planning how to get the last three artifacts into his hands, and his hands only.

* * *

Grimlock knew perfectly well that Starscream had no intention of working anything out and was probably already planning how to get the last three artifacts into his cunning hands. That was a problem to be solved later, though. For now, Grimlock had his rival where he could keep an optic on him. Starscream beside him, so to speak, was a much smaller problem than Starscream behind or in front of him.

Although the view when he was in front of Grimlock, as he was now while they followed the path, was definitely appealing. He could see the full expanse of those wings, for instance, and how they weren't still but moved subtly and gracefully. Based on what Grimlock had learned from Swoop, they were probably reacting to changes in air pressure and movement. Depending on how sensitive Starscream's wings' sensors were, he might even be tracking Grimlock's movements, making sure the Dinobot kept his distance. Well, Grimlock could hardly complain about Starscream keeping an optic on him, so to speak, since he was doing the same thing.

"The way that old mech was talking, there will most likely be more traps," Starscream said thoughtfully as the mausoleum, not nearly as overgrown as Grimlock would have expected, came into view. "We should be careful."

"Did you, Starscream, see anything when flying?"

"I was looking for a way to avoid being on the ground at all," Starscream retorted.

"Take scans?"

"Of course I took scans!" There was a pause as if Starscream was reviewing them. "Yes," the jet said slowly, "I did detect some anomalies that indicate the presence of defence systems. Some are offline because they rely on power, but others are not, either because their power source is still active or because they're purely mechanical. I can plot a course around them."

"Me, Grimlock, keep following you then." Grimlock was confident enough to let Starscream plot the course and just followed him. He was still useful to the jet, meaning Starscream was unlikely to double-cross him. Yet, anyway.

The route past as few of the still-powered defences as possible was a winding one. It took them halfway around the mausoleum and wound through the mid-sized courtyard. The remaining ones Starscream shot with his null-rays, keeping them offline long enough for the two mecha to get past them.

"Me Grimlock think that too easy," he said, pulling the temple doors open for Starscream to enter.

Starscream scoffed. "This place has been running down for centi-vorns, of course half the defences are offline. That old mech might come out here to keep up a few things, but he can't maintain the whole complex on his own."

"Him might not be only one," Grimlock countered. "Him might just be only one we see."

That seemed to give Starscream pause. "Er, yes," he said. "I suppose that's true. Let's not stray too far from each other, then, shall we?"

"Me, Grimlock, not have a problem sticking close to you, Starscream." If he'd been in dino mode, he would've flicked his tail with amusement. "So. How we get inside?"

"It must be something related to the legend of Mortilus," Starscream said, examining the reliefs carved on the mausoleum doors. "They worshiped Mortilus, they likely wouldn't use one of the monsters he was meant to command, like Trypticon, or something like the Void Sceptre…" Starscream tapped a finger on his chin: Grimlock found it endearing. "If _I_ worshiped Mortilus, how would I see him?"

Grimlock remembered something that the old mech at the outpost had said. "Old mech at outpost say Mortilus come as friend, not enemy. What carvings say about Mortilus being friend?"

"Yes, that's…" Starscream trailed off again, examining the carving of Mortilus on the door, running his fingers over them. The doors looked sealed, no handles, and they were hinged doors that were meant to swing outward. The seam of the doors bisected the god vertically, where he stood with his hands held out as if inviting the observer to come in.

To come in, or, perhaps…

Starscream came to the same realization as Grimlock at roughly the same time. They each reached out as if to take a graven hand and felt it sink backward, each gripped the revealed handle and pulled. The heavy doors swung open, revealing a ramp, leading downward. Symbolizing the descent into the Well and getting closer to Primus, Grimlock supposed.

"I don't detect any more defences or traps," Starscream said, though he hung back. Grimlock didn't blame him; there was something off-putting about the hallway in front of them. "We should enter. After you."

The hallway was wide enough for Grimlock to enter but narrow enough that he would fill it almost completely. The worst thing Starscream could do would be to shut the doors behind him, and that would defeat the purpose of getting to the Tome in the first place.

"Alright," Grimlock agreed. "Me go."

The ramp led down into a small central chamber with alcoves branching off on either side. A quick look revealed memorial statues, presumably for deceased cult members. The rear wall of the central chamber was slightly curved outward and held larger statues representing the members of the Guiding Hand. Mortilus was front and centre, holding his sceptre, a bound book resting open on the plinth on which he stood. Grimlock went over and scrutinized it. The book's covers were metal, and its pages were made of high-quality writing foil, only a little tarnished from age and exposure. It didn't seem to be attached or fixed to the plinth in any way, no matter how closely Grimlock inspected it and how many scans he ran.

It couldn't be that simple, could it?

Grimlock took one final scan and then crouched down and tried to lift the book, carefully. It didn't move, held in place by some kind of latch as he discovered when he felt around the bottom of it. It didn't seem firmly locked, but the catch was sharp when he tried it, sharp enough even to cut his finger. It wasn't broken; it had to have been designed that way. If it had been designed that way, it had to have a purpose. After a moment's thought, he realized why and, taking hold of the catch, ran his thumb firmly across it. It stung, but it would heal fast, and it did the trick. Energon trickled over the catch, and the lock released, letting Grimlock lift the Tome up, half-expecting something else to happen. Nothing did, and he put the Tome away in a case he'd brought and subspaced it before retreating from the mausoleum.

"What took you so long?" Starscream demanded once Grimlock emerged. "Did you get the Tome?"

"Me got it," Grimlock confirmed.

"How? What was the secret to it?"

Grimlock showed the other mech the cut on his thumb. "Book about death. Had to give up life to get book about death."

Starscream inspected Grimlock's hand, putting his own against it to keep it steady. The Seeker's hand was pleasantly warm.

"Of course," Starscream murmured. "It matches perfectly with the other symbolism. I wonder what the next artifact will require."

"Heh. You, Starscream, come with me and find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time travel is canonical within G1, as we see in both _[War Dawn](https://tfwiki.net/wiki/War_Dawn_\(episode\))_ and _[Forever is a Long Time Coming](https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Forever_Is_a_Long_Time_Coming)_. I'm still not sure how season three out of all seasons managed to give us a stable time loop but they did.
> 
> Cribbing the fire-removes-tar bit from the G1 cartoon episode [Dinobot Island, Part 2](https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dinobot_Island,_Part_2).


	4. Primus: The Prime Pillar

Starscream was a little unclear on how they'd wound up sharing Grimlock's ship for the journey to the next artifact. Starscream's ship was just meant for one, true, but he could have followed Grimlock. There had been good points about fuel conservation and how being on the same ship meant that Starscream could be sure Grimlock wouldn't take off with the artifacts he'd found. Of course, Grimlock wasn't letting the Tome out of his subspace, as far as Starscream knew, but the reasoning had seemed solid at the time. It wasn't as if Grimlock had kidnapped him either. Starscream had gotten on the ship of his own free will, of course. He just wasn't exactly clear on how and why _Grimlock_ had been able to convince him.

It hadn't been the thought of hearing more of that deep, rumbling voice, anyway, he told himself. Never mind that Grimlock, who was clearly smarter than he seemed, was precisely Starscream's type. Big, broad-shouldered, and with hands that could nearly span Starscream's waist. He was definitely more intelligent than he seemed as well, and now that Starscream had access to Grimlock's media library, he was starting to see just how much of a front that was. Oh, there were the mindless, violent action movies he'd expected, but there were documentaries and thought-provoking films in the mix as well. Grimlock's books were filled with notes appended to the margins, and some of what he wrote – well, it was nothing like the way he talked. Starscream wondered what else about the mech was a front.

The next planet was four cycles' journey away. Grimlock liked to watch movies at night and, to Starscream's surprise, asked for his input on them. At first, Starscream picked some of the high-brow documentaries as a test to see if Grimlock would get bored halfway through and fall asleep and wander off. He didn't.

The third night, Starscream relented and let Grimlock pick the movie. He picked one of the action films, but something about the way he looked over at Starscream when he did it made the jet wonder if he wasn't being put through his own test.

It wasn't all tests and films, though. They had agreed to share information on the remaining artifacts, and Starscream was surprised – not necessarily pleasantly – by how much information Grimlock had on them. The next artifact, hidden on an icy world, was supposed to be the artifact of Primus, a pillar carved with glyphs that were supposed to tell the true origin of Cybertron and its people. Starscream doubted it was a full-sized pillar, meant to hold up a building. So far, all the artifacts had been sized to be held by a mech. Even if the Thirteen _had_ been larger than modern Cybertronians, they weren't carrying around anything building-sized. They were probably looking for a miniature version, perhaps a smaller copy of a pillar that had been part of a now-lost temple or other building. Starscream also doubted that it told the true story of Cybertron's origins. Most likely, it would be a version of a creation myth, but that didn't lessen its value.

The actual planet they had to go to didn't seem nearly as valuable, especially not once they began to make planetfall. The atmosphere had seemed clear from above, but a storm blew up out of seemingly nowhere, and it was necessary to divert course to avoid getting caught in the worst of it. _That_ meant landing further away from their destination than they'd initially intended to, but Grimlock didn't want to burn fuel hoping for a better landing site, and Starscream agreed with him.

Starscream wasn't going to wade through snow, knee-high on him, though, and used his antigravs to fly over it, though he kept pace with Grimlock. Starscream knew all too well how treacherous wintery worlds could be. He was _not_ going to let them get separated!

* * *

Grimlock had half-expected Starscream to fly off ahead of him, racing toward the artifact even though Starscream had no way to leave the planet and get back home without Grimlock and his ship. Starscream _could_ manage escape velocity on his own, and he was rated for space, but he couldn't carry enough fuel to get him back to his own ship, let alone Cybertron, and the Seeker knew it. He'd mentioned having arranged a rendezvous with the Combaticons, but Grimlock knew not to fully trust any group involving Swindle. Starscream might have organized a way to double-cross him, but so far, Starscream was just flying along next to him in root mode. Just as well. Grimlock knew he couldn't leave Starscream behind – even he wasn't immune to Optimus Prime's disappointed looks – and he didn't relish searching for him in a snowstorm. That wasn't even getting into the damage snow and ice could do if one of them were injured, and it got into delicate internals.

"The sky is getting dark again," Starscream said worriedly once they'd been travelling for a joor and a half. "And the atmospheric pressure is dropping. I think another storm is coming – we should seek shelter before it gets here."

"Okay," Grimlock agreed, though he didn't mind walking through the snow. Best to see how bad the storm would be first. If it wasn't too severe, they could always press on, after all. "Maybe cave nearby?"

"There ought to be if the geological readings I took in the ship on the way down are accurate." Starscream looked around, frowning. "I just hope it's deep enough."

Starscream's readings had been correct, and they did find a cave system nearby. It took a few tries to find one broad and deep enough for both of them, and by then, the storm was whipping hard little particles of snow against their armour. Grimlock was grateful for the mask and visor that protected his faceplates, but Starscream didn't have that and looked utterly miserable. This time, when they found the entrance, Grimlock let Starscream go first. The Seeker stomped across the cave floor angrily, and Grimlock let him. He knew what it looked like when a mech needed to cool down. Besides, it didn't look like the storm was going anywhere soon. If Starscream wanted to talk, they'd have time.

* * *

The storm had been raging for joors, and, by the way the temperature had dropped, Starscream guessed night had fallen, though there was no change in light to give it away. They weren't going any further until daybreak, at the earliest, and he was _not_ happy about spending the night here. Grimlock didn't seem to be bothered, had already settled in for the night, apparently unbothered by the cold.

Starscream, on the other hand, knelt on the ground to keep his core as far away from the icy surface as possible and wrapped his arms around his torso to protect comparatively delicate internals. He lost a lot of heat through his wings, and he _hated_ the cold. If it were just that, he could have compensated. This wretched planet, however, insisted on not only being more frigid than that miserable mudball Earth – he didn't care _how_ many Cybertronian artifacts had wound up there, he hated the place - but _wetter_ too. The moisture in the air made the cold feel much worse than it was. This promised to be a thoroughly miserable night, almost certainly devoid of recharge. To make things worse, that – that _Dinobot_ was sitting next to him, leaning back against the cave wall as if he didn't have anything to worry about. He probably didn't, the giant, over-engineered –

"If you, Starscream, cold, can come to sit with me, Grimlock," the subject of his internal rant interrupted. Starscream ignored him and kept up his inner monologue.

– thick-plated oaf who-who probably _did_ have heat to spare. He could almost certainly keep them both warm overnight. Unbidden, Starscream began to calculate the optimum positioning for him to make the best use of Grimlock's radiant heat. The best way to keep Starscream from contact with the cold and the wet would be for him to –

No. No, no, _no_! He was _not_ going to _sit on_ _Grimlock's lap_! Even if it did mean those strong thighs would keep him from contact with the ground and his wings would lose much less heat pressed against that broad chest.

Ugh, why was he even _thinking_ about this?

Grimlock put his hands behind his head and shifted down and forward a little, the better to lean. The frost that was nipping at Starscream's shins was utterly absent in the newly-bared space where the Dinobot had been sitting. The angle of Grimlock's torso would be comfortable to lean against…Argh! Why was he even thinking of this?

"Me Grimlock leave hands like this. Leave all night if have to," Grimlock continued. "You, Starscream, sit however you like. Me Grimlock no touch. Him Wheeljack and him Ratchet tell Dinobots about putting hands on others, make sure we know when okay to touch and when not okay to touch. It okay for Starscream to touch Grimlock in best way to stay warm. It not okay for Grimlock to touch Starscream, so Grimlock not do it. Understand?"

It hadn't occurred to Starscream that Grimlock would so much as grope him, though he certainly wouldn't complain about being told in so many words.

Could _Grimlock_ have figured out the best way for Starscream to keep warm with his body heat as well? Surely not. It was simple logic that the best way for Starscream to stay warm was to be very close to Grimlock. Even the most basic processor would have no trouble coming to that conclusion.

Starscream's fingers and face were getting cold, his systems drawing heat from extremities inward to more vital systems. His wings were exempt, for now, but if it got cold enough and his fuel levels dropped too far, his body would pull heat from those as well, to keep the core of his root mode functioning. If his wings were damaged, he would _never_ be rid of the Dinobot, and he certainly wouldn't make it to his rendezvous. The Combaticons were unlikely to wait – indeed, they would probably rejoice at the opportunity to abandon him here. An ignoble fate easily avoided by just a little…ugh… _sharing_.

"Of course I understand," he said loftily, standing up and strutting over to Grimlock. "I-I wasn't worried for a micro-second." Grimlock's head didn't move, but Starscream knew he was being watched from behind that visor. "Just stay exactly as you are, and you'll be fine."

"Grimlock just has to trust Starscream not to hurt him, Grimlock."

Was he – was the creature _laughing_ at him? It didn't matter. Soon this would all be over, and if he could shoot Grimlock on the way out – well. One less Autobot to worry about.

Starscream maneuvered himself into – _Primus_ – Grimlock's lap. While he initially laid his legs atop Grimlock's thighs, the difference in their height meant Starscream could neither leave them lying on the Dinobot's nor flex so that his calves rested on Grimlock's knees. He had to pull his legs back and sit cross-legged while leaning back against Grimlock, not the most dignified position but better than the far less dignified alternative of squatting on the ground. At least he could pretend he was pulling his limbs closer for warmth. His wings were slightly broader than Grimlock's chest, but _oh,_ the heat radiating out from the Dinobot meant Starscream didn't have to worry about his systems pulling heat from his wings to his core.

"If you ever tell anyone about this…" Starscream threatened. Grimlock chuckled, the vibration from his low voice thrilling along Starscream's spinal linkages and spreading through his wings.

"You Starscream secret safe with me, Grimlock."

* * *

The storm died sometime overnight. The moment the sun was over the horizon, Starscream awoke and bolted off Grimlock's lap. Grimlock did regret losing the other mech's warmth, and how nicely he'd fit in Grimlock's lap. Grimlock had kept his word and kept his hands to himself, but he'd wondered what it would feel like to wrap them around Starscream's waist.

Starscream, prickly as he was, would have complained even if he'd agreed to it, at least for a few nano-kliks before grouchily settling down. Grimlock could just picture it, and he was hoping, with the promising accord that had developed between them over the cycles on the ship, that it might become a reality. Someday. Maybe.

They had energon cubes with them and paused for a quick refuel before heading out again. Their destination this time was not an outpost, city, ship, or temple but a glacier, probably where a vault was buried. They might have to dig to retrieve the Pillar, but Grimlock was confident in their ability to do so without disturbing too much of the site. Prime had said that right now, retrieving the artifacts before the Tarn Museum could was their priority. A more detailed excavation could take place later. Grimlock felt this rather went against the point of archaeology, but he also didn't want the Tarn Museum to win out on this one. Besides, it gave him more time to get to know Starscream.

Well, as much as Starscream would let anyone get to know him. He wasn't interested in talking about his past, or his hobbies, or what he liked, though he would definitely talk about his _dislikes_. That last included Megatron, snow, organic planets, Megatron, ice, storms, and Megatron. Not in that order, either.

"Me, Grimlock, understand why you no like Megatron," Grimlock began curiously. "But why you no like snow? Why you no like snow so much?"

Starscream was silent long enough that Grimlock thought he wasn't going to reply. Then, to Grimlock's surprise, he landed and began to speak, in an unusually quiet voice.

"I was an explorer once, long ago," he said. "I had a partner, Skyfire. We were exploring a distant planet, looking for energon, when a storm came up. Worse than the one we saw last night. We were separated, and I lost him. I circled half the globe searching for him, but I never found him again."

Grimlock reached out and put a hand on Starscream's shoulder. "Me, Grimlock, sorry you lost your friend."

"He – thank you."

There was silence between them for the rest of the journey. Their destination was part-way up the glacier, the entrance looking as if it had been carved, once, then partially melted sometime between its creation and now.

"You, Starscream, not have to go in," Grimlock offered. It seemed like that, whatever had happened to Skyfire, he'd eventually been buried in snow and ice. Starscream had to be thinking about that right now, and it had to be distressing.

Starscream only seemed to hesitate for a nano-klik before striding forward. "I'm not afraid of a cave. Besides, you can always melt me out if anything happens."

Grimlock followed Starscream. "Me, Grimlock, always happy to save Starscream."

His only response was a glare thrown over Starscream's shoulder, but it did get a response. It was as close to 'cheered up' as Grimlock was likely to get the Seeker.

The once-carved look continued inside, where columns carved with geometric patterns had the same once-carved look as the exterior, although not as severely worn. Grimlock could still make out the patterns, which looked proto-Polyhexian even with the edges worn by warmer temperatures and time. The passageway was short, at least relatively, and thankfully less creepy than the last hallway Grimlock had had to go down in search of artifacts. It ended at a door that had the sheen of titanium to it. It looked like a cargo container had been buried in the ice, and the ice melted around it to solidify it.

"Someone went to a lot of work to bury this," Starscream mused. "To hide all of them. I wonder why there aren't more security measures to get here – to get to all of them. It's almost as if the mecha who hid them didn't care if they were found."

"Maybe they wanted items to be found?" Grimlock suggested. "Maybe meant objects to be brought back to Cybertron one day."

"Yes, but you'd still think that they'd take steps to make sure they were the only ones who could."

"Maybe they not care, so long as they go back."

"Yes, perhaps…" Starscream thought for a moment then seemed to shake himself free of that particular processing thread. "Alright, well, what do you think the key to this one is?"

"Primus gives life and light. Got to be about one of those. Already did energon sacrifice in Mortilus's place, so probably light here."

"Yes," Starscream said, folding his arms and tapping the fingers of one hand against his elbow. "Probably. But does life just have to be energon? What else could represent it?"

"Primus gives life and light," Grimlock pointed out again. "Light can be warm."

"And we're surrounded by ice. Perhaps there's something we have to reveal by melting? Or even just by shining light on it. Do you have a light?"

Cybertronians generally didn't need portable lights, since even when there wasn't enough to use visual sensors, they had others. But Wheeljack made sure that the Iacon Museum's employees were prepared for everything, and that included needed portable lights. Grimlock handed his over to Starscream, who spent a quick moment examining it and then returned to the door. Grimlock agreed that the theory was sound. The trick was, finding out what part of the wall they had to shine it on. It would have been a lot easier when the carvings were new. The symbol of Primus, light radiating out from a sphere that represented Cybertron, was easy enough to find, centred on the door. Unlike the carving of Mortilus, however, it wasn't bisected by the seam of the doors.

"Me think door swings out," Grimlock said thoughtfully. "So, lock probably be opposite hinges."

Grimlock could tell when Starscream was absorbed in a problem because he was a lot less snippy than he would have been otherwise.

"Yes, and most doors…" Starscream ran his hand down the right-hand side of the door. "It should be here, somewhere. There's nothing to melt, though."

"Maybe not need to melt? Maybe just need to use right kind of light?" Grimlock looked over the carvings again. There was always a clue, which just bolstered the theory that the artifacts had been _meant_ to be found."

"Maybe. But what would – ah!" Starscream exclaimed triumphantly. " _Light-bringer_ , of course! Did you take scans of the light frequency of this planet's sun? Or have them for Cybertron's?"

Grimlock didn't usually record environmental data, especially not long term. "No."

Starscream muttered to himself as if disappointed, though he apparently hadn't recorded any himself, either because he made a dash for the entrance. Grimlock didn't join him, but he did watch him leave. He came back quickly and fiddled with the settings on Wheeljack's light.

"I'll try Cybertron's first," Starscream muttered to himself as he made his adjustments. "Almost…ah! There!" Grimlock was smiling, and even though Starscream couldn't have seen it, something must have given it away because Starscream glanced over and snapped, "what?"

"Me, Grimlock, like watching you think out loud." And, because Wheeljack and Ratchet had taught him to be honest, "like to watch you, Starscream, always."

"I – yes, well." Starscream chuckled, but it sounded forced. "Let's just…get this door open for now."

"Sure. Us talk later, maybe."

* * *

Starscream had no idea why he suddenly felt awkward over Grimlock's attempt at flirting. It was hardly uncommon for mecha to flirt with him, after all: he was brilliant, handsome, educated, the ace of the air. He should have been surprised if Grimlock _hadn't_ flirted with him. He set it aside to deal with later, focusing for now on retrieving this next artifact.

Starscream tried tuning the frequency of the light first to Cybertron's, then to this planet's, only for neither of them to work.

"I don't understand," he muttered, "it should have worked. Perhaps…"

The cultists surely wouldn't have used a strange star, so it _had_ to be either this world's or Cybertron's sun! But…they had done this millions of years ago, and a star's light frequency did change over time. Starscream calculated what the frequency of Hadeen would have been when the cultists left it and readjusted the light Grimlock had given him. (Wheeljack did excellent work, reluctant as Starscream was to admit it.)

Starscream played the light slowly over the door again, and this time heard the _clunk_ of something unlatching. Gradually, the ice in the hinges and around the jamb cracking as it broke, the door swung open. Light shivered to life and spilled out, glittering on the ice carvings. The container – and the corrugated sides showed that's what it had indeed started life as – had bright sconces along the walls, leading to a plinth.

"Do you think that's the Pillar?" Starscream asked as they approached it, "or a container for it like we've seen before? It's much larger than the other artifacts."

"Primes much larger than other mecha," Grimlock pointed out. "Primus probably largest of all."

Well, Starscream supposed that did make sense. "It's a good thing I've got a large mech of my own to do the heavy lifting for me, then."

"For us, you mean?"

"Of course," Starscream said smoothly, quickly correcting himself. "For us, partner."

One big hand – one big _warm_ hand – landed on his shoulder. "Me, Grimlock, like the sound of that."

Starscream was suddenly very aware of Grimlock's size and strength, and it was definitely not a fearful awareness.

"I – I will admit it has been working out well for us so far," Starscream agreed. And, surprised to find out he meant it, "it's a shame we'll have to part once all the artifacts are found."

"Maybe not," Grimlock said and patted Starscream's shoulder. "Us talk later, on ship. For now, us get Pillar. Okay?"

"I hope you're not asking me to leave the Tarn Museum," Starscream warned. "Megatron needs me."

"Sure, okay," Grimlock agreed. "Us get Pillar first. What you, Starscream, think best way?"

"It almost looks like you could just…pick it up. But there must be a trick to it, like the others." Starscream circled the pillar, examining it. "But I don't see any latches or anything holding it in place." He considered it for a few moments more and finally reached out to push on it.

It moved. Nothing else happened.

"I think," Starscream said uncertainly, "you could just pick it up. There doesn't seem to be anything."

"Okay, me try."

"I'll just stand back here, Starscream said quickly, backing toward the entrance.

Grimlock put his hands carefully on the Pillar, appearing to gradually increase his hold until he was sure there wouldn't be a reaction. He lifted it slowly and – nothing: no traps, no reactions, just the artifact.

"That's it?" Starscream asked after a beat of silence. "That's all? Just…melt a lock and pick it up?"

Grimlock set the Pillar back down and brought a carrying case, just barely large enough to hold it, out of his subspace and began to pack it away. "Seems that way. Maybe us have better quality cultists on other planets."

Despite himself, Starscream smiled. "Maybe. Come on, let's get back to the ship. I've had enough of ice and snow."

"Me Grimlock not argue with that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't able to confirm or deny if, or how quickly, the light frequency of a star might change but since I know stars get dimmer over time, it seems reasonable to assume it does.


	5. Epistemus: The Seraphic Key

Back on the ship, Starscream asked to be allowed to examine the Pillar, and Grimlock didn't see a reason not to let him. He did stay in the room while Starscream looked it over, though. He wasn't sure what tricks Starscream might try, even if he didn't have his usual inventory, and besides, he liked watching him work.

After nearly a joor of examining the Pillar, Starscream threw up his hands in irritation.

"This is useless!" he exclaimed. "The glyphs are obviously Cybertronian, just like the others, and I'm _sure_ they have meaning, but I can't crack it."

"What you need?"

"I need the code key – or _a_ code key." Starscream drummed his fingers on the table. "The last artifact, the Seraphic Key of Epistemus, that _must_ be it. Even if it's not marked with it intentionally, if the legends are true, it gives the user the ability to learn any language, any code. We must find that artifact!"

"You, Starscream, have an idea of where to look?"

"Soundwave only had half the map to the place," Starscream admitted. "We can start from there. I don't suppose you have any data on it?"

"Me call Cybertron, check with Prowl. Maybe he knows, find out while us looking."

"Yes, maybe. Say," Starscream said, coaxingly, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to let your partner sit in on that call, would you?"

"Hmm…maybe me should ask for trade for that," Grimlock teased. He shouldn't, he knew, he just liked the way Starscream's optics lit up when he got all riled. But he was to be disappointed – or would have been if he didn't like Starscream's other expressions as well.

"What would you want in trade?"

"Me could ask for a kiss, me suppose," Grimlock said, mock-thoughtfully. Starscream's lips parted in surprise, and that didn't make Grimlock want to kiss him any less. "But, if you, Starscream, kiss me, Grimlock, should be because you want to. So, me not ask for anything. You, Starscream, can come to talk to him, Prowl, too. Partner."

"Of course," Starscream said, putting a hand on Grimlock's arm. "Partner."

* * *

Grimlock's ship might be big enough for two, but the communications console was clearly designed to be used by one. They wound up crowded together in front of it, each having to lean in to be fully seen in the vid pickup. It would, Starscream thought irritably, have been more practical for him to sit in Grimlock's lap if it wouldn't have given Prowl ammunition. What it would have been ammunition for, Starscream didn't know, but this was Prowl, so it would have been for _something_ , he was sure.

"I've not yet had any luck translating the glyphs on the three artifacts we have," Prowl said, "and since the Cylinder hasn't yet gone on display in Tarn, nor has Soundwave published a new paper on the subject, it stands to reason that it hasn’t been deciphered yet either."

"Hn. What you think you need to translate?" Grimlock asked. "Last artifact, like Starscream say?"

Prowl nodded once. "Yes. I also believe the final artifact, the so-called 'Seraphic Key,' whether it contains mystical power or not, at least holds the code key to deciphering the other four artifacts."

"Well, of course," Starscream said, folding his arms. "It's obvious that's what we need, the question is where to find it."

Prowl gave him a long, considering look then turned back to Grimlock. "Grimlock, once I have provided the relevant data to the artifact's location, will you require further assistance to locate it."

Starscream was quite sure Prowl was asking Grimlock if he _really_ needed Starscream with him for the last leg of the journey. He was about to snipe back at Prowl, but Grimlock got there first.

"Me, Grimlock, already agree to let him, Starscream, come with me to find rest of artifacts," Grimlock said firmly. "Us working together to end. Okay?"

"Very well," Prowl agreed. "I'll transmit the data immediately." He looked at Starscream again. "Starscream. Give us the room?"

"I – "

"It fine," Grimlock murmured.

"Very well," Starscream said loftily. "I'll be in the lab, pulling what data I can without a key code."

Starscream didn't wait for a reply, just swept out of the room. He _would_ have tried listening from the hallway, but eavesdropping countermeasures were in play, and it was useless. Very well. He could just get what he needed out of Grimlock later. Probably. The mech was very good at _not_ being manipulated. It was, in its own way, an appealing challenge. Still, Starscream was very good at getting his way. He was sure he could get _something_ out of the mech later. There was always a way.

For instance, that kiss Grimlock had mentioned. Physical intimacy could be a good in with some mecha, and the mention of a kiss suggested he might have a mouth under that faceplate. As Starscream headed back to the lab, he got distracted from his plotting by wondering what it looked like.

* * *

Prowl waited until the door was closed, and Starscream had had enough time to realize countermeasures were in place and give up attempting to listen in.

"As I said," Prowl began again, "the artifact known the Seraphic Key is essential to decipher the Prime Pillar and certain of the markings on the other artifacts. It is vital to acquire the Key, and to keep it out of Starscream's hands."

"Me Grimlock think me can do that," Grimlock said. "Starscream try to trick, me know, but me Grimlock know how to trick back."

Prowl folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "Grimlock. If you were able to convince Starscream to leave the Tarn Region Museum Authority and sign on with the Iacon Regional Art and History Museums Cooperative, he would be a great asset, if one that required constant monitoring."

Well, Grimlock agreed with that, but he wasn't sure Starscream would. Grimlock didn't get why Starscream kept working for Megatron, but for whatever reason, the Seeker seemed determined to stay where he was. Which was a shame, since Grimlock would very much like it if he saw more of his, so far, temporary companion. 

"Me Grimlock see what me can do," he said, which was really all he could promise Prowl. He didn't have a whole lot of hope that the outcome Prowl wanted would be what he got, though.

Prowl accepted Grimlock's answer, probably recognizing it as reasonable, and signed off as soon as Grimlock accepted transmission of the data packet. He debated going through it first but eventually decided to open and check it with Starscream, as a show of trust. Grimlock was looking forward to finding the final artifact and, at the same time, regretful because it meant his partnership with Starscream was likely coming to an end.

Well, with luck, this last artifact would be on a planet further out than the others, and they'd have more time together.

* * *

When Starscream saw the location of the fifth and final artifact, he kicked a chair across the lab.

"Of course it's there!" he snarled. "I should have known! I don't know why I expected anything different. _Why_ do _so many_ Cybertronian artifacts end up on that miserable mudball Earth!"

Grimlock privately wondered the same thing, but it didn't really seem like Starscream wanted an answer. Starscream threw a fit for a little while longer but finally settled down but not into a sulk. This was different.

"You, Starscream, okay?" Grimlock asked, wondering if a comforting hand on a shoulder would be accepted right now or not.

"Earth is the planet where I lost Skyfire," Starscream admitted, arms crossed. "It left its last ice age behind vorns ago, but the navigational coordinates are correct, accounting for stellar drift."

"No wonder you no like." Grimlock added gently, "when we get there, me help you look for your friend again, if you, Starscream, want."

Starscream was silent for a long time. "No, I – if I didn't find him millions of years ago, I doubt I'll find him now, and – I would prefer to remember him the way he was. But…" he glanced over at Grimlock, "thank you. For offering."

"You, Starscream, not good at asking for help," Grimlock observed. "But me, Grimlock, help if you let me help. Don't _have_ to go to Earth, not if trust me, Grimlock, to bring back Key."

"I'll go," Starscream said. "I've been there before. I don’t like it, but I won't let it stop me from doing my job. Come on, I suppose we might as well set course for that rock."

Grimlock wisely let it drop and followed Starscream back to the ship's tiny bridge.

* * *

Earth was a lot like Grimlock remembered it from the last time he'd been here, helping to quietly remove a lost Cybertronian weather-machine before the humans could rediscover it. It had done enough damage the first time around before the humans had contained it, a fairly impressive feat considering their technological level at the time. Grimlock had been a guard at the time, and he'd been fascinated by the process of excavation. That had been when he'd started to learn, encouraged by Wheeljack and mostly tolerated by the other museum employees.

Prowl had given them coordinates located in the north of the planet, near a river in a remote and unpopulated location. The isolation meant that they could, for once, land near their target. It was another ship, this time, one that had probably been flat when it landed, but over time the cliff below it had given way, and it was not at a precarious angle.

"How haven't they seen this?" Starscream wondered. "They've got satellite imaging technology, even a brief check of what passes for their DataNet confirms that."

"Not sure. Maybe they not look at this part of planet yet?"

"Maybe." Starscream walked up to the battered hull and examined it. "Or perhaps it's been discovered, but the information has been kept hidden. Either way, it's not any of our concern. Let's just get the Key and go."

Grimlock actually liked Earth, and he was going to be a little sorry to have this partnership with Starscream end, but he was also curious about what the Key would reveal. The ship was at a tricky angle, though, and it would be hard for him to maneuver inside it. Starscream was just enough smaller than Grimlock that he'd have little to no problem, especially since he could just use his antigravs to cross the angled floors. That meant Grimlock would have to trust him to bring back the artifact, but since Grimlock would have control of the ship and Cybertron was further than Starscream could manage on his own, the risk was minimal.

"Me Grimlock too big for the ship," Grimlock explained. "You, Starscream, go. Bring back Key."

"Anything to get off this planet sooner," Starscream muttered. "I'll try not to take too long."

"Okay," Grimlock agreed and leaned against one side of the ship with his arms folded. "Me wait here."

Starscream vanished up into the ship, and Grimlock settled in for the duration.

* * *

Unlike the other artifacts, which had been intentionally placed – even the ship holding the Transformation Cylinder had landed properly – this ship hadn't been meant to land on Earth. It had crashed, and while most of the crew had survived, they'd eventually been rescued, apparently leaving the artifact here. There hadn't been too much more information than that, or what the crew had done with the Key. Starscream checked the logical places first – the ship's chapel, the captain's vault, and the crew quarters – without any luck and then headed for the bridge.

The bridge doors were welded shut and painted with a seal of some kind. Starscream was tempted to simply cut through the solder running down the centre, but Grimlock wouldn't be happy if he damaged the site. Well, more than necessary, anyway. Instead, Starscream cut carefully around the edges and eased the doors out of their frame, setting them to one side. Air rushed briefly past him as the pressure differential equalized. Inside it was as dark as a tomb. Starscream paused to scan the room for anything that might be lurking, but there was only some barely detectable dust drifting on the disturbed air. He took a step inside, listened, and decided it was safe, if creepy. Starscream entered the bridge, taking scans and video recordings, and looking around for anything that might hold the Key. He found it at the same time he realized that his first comparison to a tomb was more on target than he'd thought.

A Seeker, gray in death, was sitting upright in the captain's chair, hands framing a box held in his lap. Captain's stripes, painted with nonliving paint after his death, were displayed across his wings. Evidently, he'd been left with his vessel, perhaps as a guard for the Key. Carefully, Starscream worked the box free, doing his best to leave the captain positioned as he had been. The box was locked, with a strange combination lock, but this had to be it, surely? Starscream was tempted to work out the combination first, but the thought of Grimlock stopped him. If the Dinobot had found it, he'd have brought it back, shared the discovery with Starscream. Starscream had never been much of one for sharing, but he supposed it would be a shame to cause friction in the partnership when they were so close to the end.

Starscream subspaced the box, welded the bridge doors back in place as best he could with a laser to preserve the bridge-turned-tomb again, and left the ship.

* * *

"You, Starscream, find Key?" Grimlock asked when Starscream dropped out of the ship, using antigravs to stabilize his fall and landing.

"I think so," Starscream answered, and unsubspaced a rather plain-looking box with a fancy lock on the front. "The bridge had been turned into a tomb for the captain. He was holding this on his lap, so it's surely important."

"You, Starscream, try to open the box yet?"

To Grimlock's surprise, Starscream shook his head. "No, I – we started this together, after a fashion. We ought to finish it together as well."

That was a lot more cooperation than Grimlock had expected to get, even now. Truthfully, a part of him had expected Starscream to lie about finding the artifact, even now. Grimlock wasn't going to do anything to risk the trust they seemed to have built up, though, so he agreed, and they headed back to the ship, leaving a beacon by the wreck so that it could be retrieved by the appropriate Cybertronian authorities before the humans stumbled across it. Humans were going to be enough trouble when they hit the galaxy on their own; there was no point in hurrying it up.

"Do you really think this will allow the user to learn any language or code?" Starscream mused as they set up in the lab again.

"Mm, maybe. Me, Grimlock, just hope not need Key to learn how to open box to _get_ Key."

"Well, so far, all the artifacts have been designed to be retrieved, though that would be a good trick to prevent the secrets of the others being revealed," Starscream said, taking Grimlock's suggestion surprisingly seriously. "I suppose we could just break open the box."

"Would be a shame to break," Grimlock said, running surprisingly light fingers over the box. "Secret to lock in the legend of Hand, maybe?"

"Yes, that would fit." Starscream put the box down and pulled up the legend of Epistemus on the nearest terminal. "There's not a lot to give a clue, here. It would be the least interesting member of the Hand that gives the biggest challenge. So, what was so special about Epistemus, besides being wise?"

Grimlock didn't offer commentary, rereading the legend instead. Starscream was right, and there wasn't a lot there. The most important part seemed to be the myth that Epistemus had become the first brain module. He had his doubts about that, but it was a start, anyway.

"Sometimes, Epistemus supposed to have become first brain module," Grimlock said, thinking out loud. "Obvious why that important. Not obvious how it helps us open lock."

"No, but it's a start. The brain module connects to the cranial stem and from there to the spinal strut. It's part of Rossum's Trinity along with the spark and the transformation cog…"

"In stories where Epistemus became brain module, Adaptus supposed to have become transformation cog," Grimlock pointed out. "Spark supposed to be from Primus."

"Right, so something to do with Rossum's Trinity. I suppose 'three' is too obvious."

"Little bit."

"Hm." Starscream picked up the box and scrutinized it. "I wonder how many tries we get."

"Better make them good ones, just in case."

"Yes. Something related to the brain module. Alright, let's try the clock rate of the average Cybertronian." That wasn't it, but Starscream tried the standard number of transactions per second, a few more processor-specific rates, and then hit on it with the average number of synaptic updates per second. "Ah-hah!"

The lock opened, and Grimlock looked down over Starscream's shoulder. The Key was an ancient data stick, engraved with various glyphs and covered in an antique patina.

"It certainly looks like it," Starscream said, looking it over carefully. "I – yes! See this here?" It was an incredibly ornate set of glyphs, but Grimlock could just make out the words, which read 'The Key of Epistemus.' Starscream grabbed his arm triumphantly. "It's the Key! We've done it! Of course, the terminals on the ship are too modern to read it, but it's not that long of a trip back to Cybertron. But we've done it!"

"We have," Grimlock agreed. "Us should celebrate."

"Yes, we should," Starscream said smugly and turned to face him, bracing both his hands on Grimlock's arms now. "And I know exactly how."

"Oh? How that?"

"Physically. You said you wanted a kiss," Starscream said and tapped a finger against Grimlock's mask. "That means you've got a face under there, and I want to see it."

Grimlock chuckled. "Well, since you, Starscream, ask so nicely."

Grimlock's mask wasn't a part of his helm, the way Optimus's was, but latched in separately. He sent the command for the connectors to retract, then pulled the mask away from his face and set it aside.

"You, Starscream, like?" he asked as Starscream examined him just as intently as he had the Key.

"Very much," Starscream murmured and lifted a hand to touch Grimlock's jaw. Grimlock caught the hand and kissed it. Starscream stretched up, bracing himself on Grimlock's arm. "Why don't you take the kiss you want?"

Starscream was manipulative, demanding, contrary and selfish, and Grimlock shouldn't find that as appealing as he did. But this time, at least, Starscream appeared to be asking honestly.

"Okay." Grimlock leaned down and kissed Starscream, feeling the Seeker jolt in surprise as their lips touched, then press closer and return the kiss. Starscream's fingers latched on to Grimlock's chest armour, holding him in place. Starscream was smaller than Grimlock, but not by so much that Grimlock would have to worry as much as he often did about being careful.

"Oh…" Starscream breathed when the kiss ended, looking stunned in all the best ways.

"Not expect me to be gentle?"

"Well," Starscream said, looking up. "You don't _have_ to be. I like to _feel_ my lover's strength."

"Like this?" Grimlock crowded Starscream up against the wall and picked him up, pinning him there with Grimlock's own bulk.

"Yes," Starscream breathed, wrapping his legs around Grimlock's waist. "Yes, just like this!"

Grimlock knew how to be strong and gentle at the same time, and Starscream seemed to love the contrast of being firmly pinned and carefully roused. Grimlock took control once they were jacked into each other as well, pulling and pushing data back and forth until they had both overloaded and overloaded again.

"Hmm," Starscream slurred a little while later, a sated pile of jet curled in Grimlock's lap. "Strong and smart. I think I'll keep you."

Grimlock managed a sleepy chuckle and nuzzled Starscream's help. "It good for me, Grimlock, too."

Blissed out or not, Starscream had enough energy to get huffy. "You were interfacing with _me;_ of course it was! I am a magnificent partner!"

"Me believe it."

"I'll show you! Just as soon," Starscream added, "as my knees work again."

Grimlock wrapped his arms more tightly around Starscream. "Me, Grimlock, happy to wait."

"Hmph." Starscream grumpily cuddled closer. "I should hope so."

* * *

Starscream didn't say anything more about staying with Grimlock, but he did call for someone else to retrieve his ship, opting to return to Cybertron with Grimlock. Grimlock overheard enough of the conversation to know that Skywarp wasn't happy about the errand, but Starscream argued him down.

It sounded like Starscream argued him down a lot.

Starscream also sort-of moved into Grimlock's quarters for the duration of the trip, in the sense that he went to bed with Grimlock one night and never left.

He kicked in his sleep unless Grimlock pinned his legs down with one of his, which seemed to content the fussy jet. It contented Grimlock too, and he would have happily stayed that way. Sadly, they arrived back at Cybertron in only a few cycles, all too soon.

"I suppose we'll have to work out how to divide the artifacts now," Starscream said, a touch unhappily. "Megatron will be disappointed if I don't bring them all back. I imagine Optimus Prime will be the same."

"Him be less loud about it, but him be disappointed too," Grimlock agreed. "Tarn Museum agree to loan, maybe?"

"You don't know Megatron if you think that would work," Starscream countered, not as snidely as he could have. "If he can't have it all, he'll make sure the other party has nothing."

"What if him, Megatron, think him get something from working with us?" Grimlock said thoughtfully. "Maybe him cooperate long enough for us to get data from other artifacts?"

"Perhaps," Starscream said slowly. "If we can convince Soundwave, that's almost as good as convincing Megatron."

"You, Starscream, contact him Soundwave and try?"

Starscream shrugged. "I suppose it can't do any harm."

Starscream's conversation with Soundwave sounded less like diplomacy and more like shrilling and threats, but it seemed to work. Grimlock was surprised, and even more surprised to learn that Soundwave had gotten Megatron to agree.

Optimus, who was just as stubborn as his counterpart even if he refused to admit it, took a little longer. Grimlock rather suspected it was the statistics lecture Prowl worked into the call boring him to the point he wanted to finish it more than anything else that got them their way. But at last, a shaky truce of sorts was formed, even if it was one where neither side trusted the other.

Prowl and Soundwave seemed to be able to put it aside more than the others, apparently because they both got so lost in the process of discovery. By the time Grimlock and Starscream landed back on Cybertron – they were enjoying their time together, and neither were particularly eager to part – the artifacts had been translated. They not only told the (allegedly) real histories of Cybertron, they pointed to a sixth, greater, lost artifact: the Matrix of Leadership.

Optimus and Megatron were already arguing over whether or not to hold a joint expedition or competing ones when Grimlock and Starscream approached the Iacon Museum. The two directors were debating on the front ramps of the building, flanked by their respective staff members. Starscream's steps slowed as they got into audial range, and Grimlock put a hand on his shoulder.

"You, Starscream, not ready to go back?" Grimlock asked.

"I'm not sure, I – "

Megatron and Optimus's argument escalated, and the Tarn Region director stormed off with his staff, leaving Optimus alone with his. Grimlock just heard the edges of the rousing speech about how they would seek and find the Matrix, defeating Megatron. Grimlock and Starscream had come to a stop, and neither made a move to continue as the Iacon Museum's staff crowded around their director to offer their support.

"So they're off looking for the Matrix," Starscream said, looking up at Grimlock. "Should we join them?"

"No," Grimlock said. "Me think they fine to look on their own. Me think you, Starscream, and me, Grimlock, should go have adventure of our own."

"What are we looking for?" Starscream asked as they turned back to the ship.

Grimlock shrugged. "Guess us know when we find it. Okay?"

Starscream unbent far enough to put an arm around Grimlock's waist and lean into him slightly. "Okay."

They turned and went back to the ship, leaving their former employers to continue their rivalry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Data on how a [brain module](https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Brain_module) connects to the rest of a Transformer courtesy of TF Wiki.
> 
> "Clock rate typically refers to the frequency at which the clock generator of a processor can generate pulses, which are used to synchronize the operations of its components, and is used as an indicator of the processor's speed.  
>  [[Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_rate)] Transactions per second (TUPS)is a term "usually used by DBMS vendor and user community to refer to the number of database transactions performed per second." [a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactions_per_second">Source] Synaptic updates per second (SUPS) are a " is a measure of a neuronal network performance." [a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUPS">Source]

**Author's Note:**

> Artifact names courtesy of the [Artifact name generator](https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/artifact-names.php) at [Fantasy Name Generators](https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com). It also gave me the Sandals of Depravity, which sounds like something out of Munchkin.
> 
> * * *
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> Author Responses: This author replies to comments. If you don't want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with "whisper," and I will appreciate it but not respond.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Title Cards for the 2020 WIP Big Bang](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397304) by [Taste_is_Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/pseuds/Taste_is_Sweet)




End file.
